Feb 23, 2015 4 min read

The names of the players escaped Vincentian Academy head coach George Yokitis’ memory, but the thoughts running through his head during that fateful, cold February night at Montour High School have not.

Monessen’s Justice Rice and Jaden Altomore, both freshmen during the WPIAL Class A Semifinal game last February against the Royals, combined for 41 points to help the Greyhounds upset Vincentian, 110-99, and advance to the championship game.

“They didn’t just kind of hurt us. As I recall, everything they shot went in. I remember thinking, ‘What is going on? Who are these guys?,'” Yokitis said with a chuckle. “It was like Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid. Who are these guys and what do they want? Those guys were unbelievable last year.”

When second-seeded Monessen (18-6) faces the No. 3 Royals (16-8) tonight at Baldwin High School (8 p.m.), Vincentian will certainly know where Rice and Altomore are at all times.

Though the Greyhounds lost Clintell Gillaspie, Justice Rawlins and Javon Brown to graduation, Rice and Altomore, along with top scorer Lavalle Rush, a junior guard who averages 16.8 points per game, lead a fast-paced offense that averages just under 77 points.

“They look really good. They probably look a little faster than last year,” Yokitis said of Monessen. “I think we’re in for a heck of a battle with them. They are more athletic and faster than us, yet we play a fast game too, so I don’t know. It should be a good game if we play OK.”

The Greyhounds will need every bit of offense to keep up with Vincentian, which is averaging a WPIAL-best 84.3 points per game. The Royals return three starters from last season, including senior guard Ryan Wolf (22.3 ppg) and junior guard Jamison Nee (20.9).

Senior forward Jay Cortese has only played 10 games after breaking a bone in his foot and the team’s first player off the bench, senior forward Greg Kaniecki, suffered a season-ending injury.

Despite a change in personnel, Monessen head coach Joe Salvino, who has led the program to the WPIAL playoffs in all 31 of his seasons, does not see a difference between the tape he watched on Vincentian this year and the Royals’ team that scored 99 points against the Greyhounds last year.

He also hopes that Vincentian’s weakness on defense can be exploited. The Royals allow more than 70 points per game.

“I’m hoping, on our behalf, the defense comes through a little bit,” Salvino said. “They haven’t changed from last year. They still get up and down the floor, but they also give up a lot of points. Hopefully our defense is a little bit stiffer and we can stop them from scoring so many.”

In last year’s game, Vincentian got Monessen’s upperclassmen into foul trouble by penetrating and executed by making 28 of 41 shots from the free throw line. Rice and Altomore bailed the Greyhounds out with 23 and 18 points respectively.

It was a performance that resonated with both Yokitis and Salvino. If Monessen hopes to reach the WPIAL finals for the second consecutive season and claim its fourth WPIAL title since 2001, the Greyhounds need their one-two punch to punish the Royals’ on both ends of the floor.

Though both coaches agreed that meeting in the WPIAL title game at the Petersen Events Center would be an ideal championship matchup, the semifinals will do just fine.

“I would have rather seen (Monessen) somewhere else. Maybe in AA or AAA?,” Yokitis said jokingly. “I probably would have rather seen them on another part of the bracket. It’s definitely a daunting task for us matching up with them. They are good at what they do with playing transition basketball, and they are pressuring a lot more this season.”